Primary brain stem lesions caused by closed head injuries

Traumatic lesions of the brain stem are of two types: primary, which are considered to be caused at the moment of impact, and secondary, associated with supratentorial mass lesion. Of the 239 patients with a serious head injury who showed a severe disturbance of consciousness upon admisision and who had CT scan carried out immediately, 21 cases were considered to have a primary brain stem lesion with initial CT scan. A primary brain stem lesion was found in 21 of 239 (8.8%) of patients with serious head injury. Their injuries were caused primarily by traffic accidents. Sixteen of the 21 cases showed not only brain stem lesions but also other brain injuries such as cerebral contusion of the white and gray matter, callosal injury, intraventricular hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage, which are considered to be caused by a diffuse shearing injury. Five cases who showed a single injury to the brain stem with no other brain lesions were considered to have a pure brain stem lesion. Primary brain stem lesions were observed on the dorsal side of the midbrain, where they can be differentiated from secondary brain stem lesions. These lesions are considered to result from the shearing mechanism in and around the brain stem very close to the tentorial edge, or to an injury of the lower brain stem by hyperextension of the cervical vertebrae. The prognosis of patients with a primary brain stem lesion was usually unfavorable, except in those with a single brain stem lesion.     

Autoperfusion balloon catheter for treatment of vertebral artery stenosis

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of the vertebral artery was performed with an autoperfusion balloon catheter in five patients. There were no complications in the form of embolic episodes or neurological deficits due to brain ischaemia during inflation. In critical cases with insufficient collateral circulation during temporary occlusion, the use of an autoperfusion balloon catheter may expand the indications for PTA in patients with ischaemic cerebrovascular disease.     

Effects of isoflurane on oxygenation during one-lung ventilation in pulmonary emphysema patients

Background: Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction has an important role in human one-lung ventilation (OLV) in the lateral decubitus position under general anesthesia. During OLV, inhalational anesthesia may inhibit hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and the decrease in arterial oxygenation. We studied the effect of isoflurane administration on arterial oxygen tension in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.
Methods: Ten patients who had thoracoscopic laser ablation of bullous emphysema were studied. Patients received 2% isoflurane in oxygen from induction until the first 20 min of OLV in the lateral decubitus position, then were switched to 1% isoflurane lasting 20 min and next were switched to 0.5% isoflurane lasting 20 min. After each 20-min inhalation, pulmonary and hemodynamic parameters were measured. The given concentrations for isoflurane were merely vapor meter concentrations.
Results: PaO₂/FIO₂, Qs/Qt respiratory rate peak inspiratory pressure and PaCO₂ showed no significant changes at each point of isoflurane. Expiratory tidal volume significantly decreased (P<0.05) with 0.5% isoflurane compared to that with 2% isoflurane. Cardiac output, mean arterial pressure, mean pulmonary arterial pressure, systemic vascular resistance and pulmonary vascular resistance showed no significant changes at each point of isoflurane.
Conclusions: In patients with pulmonary emphysema, arterial oxygenation is not affected by low isoflurane concentration during OLV in the lateral decubitus position.     

The cleavage and inactivation of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 by neutrophil elastase: the evaluation of its physiologic relevance in fibrinolysis

The effect of the proteolytic cleavage of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) by human neutrophil elastase (HNE) on fibrinolysis was investigated. HNE cleaved active PAI-1 and produced low molecular weight forms of inactive PAI-1, as previously reported. Latent PAI-1 was resistant to HNE treatment. Vitronectin (VN) partially protected the cleavage. NH2-terminal sequence analysis indicated that the cleavage site was Val355-Ser356 (P4-P3). The effects of PAI-1 cleavage by HNE on clot lysis was studied in a purified system. Clot lysis time without PAI-1 was 20.0 +/- 5.0 minutes and was prolonged to 86.7 +/- 2.9 minutes by 68 nmol/L of PAI-1. It was shortened when HNE (from 0.6 nmol/L to 80 nmol/L) was added and returned to the value obtained without PAI-1 by 80 nmol/L of HNE (20.0 +/- 5.8 minutes). However, in the absence of PAI-1, elastase did not enhance clot lysis at all. Euglobulin clot lysis time was also shortened after HNE treatment. The cleavage and inactivation of PAI-1 by HNE was shown to be a novel pathway to enhance fibrinolysis.     

Hepatocellular carcinoma: Efficacy of transcatheter oily chemoembolization in relation to macroscopic and microscopic patterns of tumor growth among 100 patients with partial hepatectomy

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of transcatheter oily chemoembolization (TOCE) for hepatoceliular carcinoma (HCC) on the basis of microscopic and macroscopic findings postembolization. Methods: HCCs ranging in size from 0.5 to 13 cm (mean 3.6 cm) were obtained from partial hepatectomies of 100 consecutive patients who had undergone TOCE between 20 and 246 days (mean 59.5 days) prior to surgery. The efficacy of TOCE was assessed on the basis of the necrotic to live cell ratio of the tumors. The microscopic pattern of tumor growth was grouped into expanding type (complete capsule formation) and replacing type (incomplete or no capsule). There were five types of macroscopic groupings: single nodule, single nodule with extranodular growth (SNE), contiguous and noncontiguous multinodular, and massive growth type. Results: Among 79 cases with the expanding type, 29 (37%) had 100% HCC necrosis, but none with 100% necrosis were in the replacing type. By macroscopic grouping, the efficacy of TOCE decreased from the single nodule type (50% of patients had 100% necrosis) to the SNE type (21%), and the other types (9%).     

Effects of calcium in continuous cardioplegia on myocardial protection

The effects of calcium (Ca) on a hyperkalemic cardioplegic solution for continuous cardioplegia were examined in an isolated perfused working rat heart model. The coronary arteries were perfused with a modified Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer (K-H) solution, containing various concentrations of Ca(0.1, 0.6, 1.2, and 2.5 mmol/l) and a high concentration of potassium (20 mmol/l), for 180 min, after which cardiac arrest was induced at 37°C for 180 min. Cardiac function and creatine kinase (CK) were measured. In the control group, K-H solution was infused in place of the cardioplegic solution, and cardiac arrest was not induced. No significant differences were observed between the groups infused with the K-H solution containing Ca concentrations of 0.6, 1.2, and 2.5 mmol/l in the percent recovery of aortic flow (82.1±2.9%, 80.6±2.0%, and 71.5±3.7% (mean±SEM) respectively) or in the recovery of other indices of cardiac function, or in CK leakage. There were also no significant differences in the recovery of cardiac function and CK leakage between these groups and the control group. In the Ca 0.1 mmol/l group, however, the characteristic Ca paradox was observed. These findings suggest that if the Ca concentration in a cardioplegic solution is higher than 0.6 mmol/l during continuous cardioplegia, excellent cardioprotective effects will be achieved.     

Effects of Intestinal and Hepatic Metabolism on the Bioavailability of Tacrolimus in Rats

Purpose. Tacrolimus, an immunosuppressive agent, has poor and variable bioavailability following oral administration in clinical use. We investigated the contribution of intestinal metabolism to the first pass effect of tacrolimus in rats. Methods. Tacrolimus was administered intravenously, intraportally or intraintestinally to rats. Blood samples were collected over a 240-min period, and blood tacrolimus concentrations were measured. The extraction ratios of tacrolimus in the intestine and liver were investigated. In addition, the metabolism of tacrolimus in the everted sacs of the small intestine was examined. Results. The rate of absorption of tacrolimus in the intestine was rapid, and tacrolimus was almost completely absorbed after intestinal administration. The bioavailability of tacrolimus was about 40% and 25% after intraportal and intraintestinal administration, respectively, indicating that tacrolimus is metabolized in both the intestine and the liver. In addition, tacrolimus was significantly metabolized in the everted sacs of the rat intestine. Conclusions. The present study suggested that the metabolism of tacrolimus in the intestine contributes to its extensive and variable first pass metabolism following the oral administration.     

MR imaging of intraspinal tumors—Capability in histological differentiation and compartmentalization of extramedullary tumors

Summary Magnetic resonance (MR) images of 29 consecutive patients with intraspinal neoplasms (9 intramedullary tumors, 20 extramedullary tumors) were reviewed to evaluated the utility of MR imaging in distinguishing the intraspinal compartmental localisation and signal characteristics of each lesion. Compartment and histology of all neoplasms were surgically proven. MR correctly assigned one of three compartments to all lesions, 9 intramedullary, 14 intradural extramedullary (6 schwannomas, 3 neurofibromas, 5 meningiomas), and 6 extradural (3 schwannomas, 1 meningioma, 1 cavernous hemangioma, 1 metastatic renal cell carcinoma). All intramedullary tumors showed swelling of the spinal cord itself. In all five extradural tumors a low intensity band was visualized between the spinal cord and tumor. On the other hand, a low intensity band was demonstrated in no cases with intradural tumors. Visualization of this low intensity band is important in differentiating extradural from intradural-extramedullary lesions. We call this low intensity band, the extradural sign. Signal intensity of intradural tumors varied with histology. In extramedullary tumors, signal intensity of schwannomas was similar to that of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) both on T1 weighted (inversion recovery) and T2 weighted spin echo (SE) images. On the other hand, meningiomas tended to be isointense to the spinal cord on both T1 and T2 weighted SE images. We found relatively reliable signal characteristics to discriminate meningioma from schwannoma.